When is a small knife, too small?

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I bought a Spyderco Dragonfly that's too small for me to open one-handed safely, which was my intent for the knife. I'd like to have this little Wharncliffe blade on maybe a Delica handle, the blade is perfect for opening boxes without stabbing/cutting yourself.

Some vendors use so much tape on the box that it's bound to be seriously cutting into their profits. ;)
 
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Thorgrim said:
I bought a Spyderco Dragonfly that's too small for me to open one-handed safely, which was my intent for the knife. I'd like to have this little Wharncliffe blade on maybe a Delica handle, the blade is perfect for opening boxes without stabbing/cutting yourself.

Some vendors use so much tape on the box that it's bound to be seriously cutting into their profits. ;)
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They do make wharncliffe delicas now! They are in stock in a bunch of places.
 
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HexY3co said:
I'll let you know, I just ordered a CRK small inkosi and I'm worried it will be small.
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A lot of people love their small inkosis. I personally had one, but the finger grooves did not do it for me, some people fit right into them. It wasn't the size that bothered me, but the finger groove cutouts. I have a small sebenza now which is roughly the same size (slightly bigger) and it works fine as an EDC for even rougher tasks. Of course, I wouldn't skin a bear with a small sebenza, but when it comes to opening boxes, light food prep, cardboard cutting, etc, it works fine. I did not find myself wanting more in any given task, although I like to day dream about maybe picking up a large sebenza one day. Although, even if I did, I wouldn't carry it over the small sebenza. The reasons being weight, legality (3.5 inches is max in Colorado and the large sebenza is 3.6 inches), and negative perception by coworkers for having a larger knife. I find that the 3 inch knives tend to fly under the radar in terms of being threatening for people.
 
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Thorgrim said:
I bought a Spyderco Dragonfly that's too small for me to open one-handed safely, which was my intent for the knife. I'd like to have this little Wharncliffe blade on maybe a Delica handle, the blade is perfect for opening boxes without stabbing/cutting yourself.

Some vendors use so much tape on the box that it's bound to be seriously cutting into their profits. ;)
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This is where I also draw the line on small knives. If I find them to be hard to open, and I don't overcome a learning curve that makes it easy to open, I tend to not carry them. I found the same issue with the dragonfly. I could never get a secure hold on the clip side of the dragonfly, when opening one handed. This caused in many cases fumbling to open, or just going through the opening motion and either having the close bias beat out my attempt, or just not opening it at all. Some people can open the dragonfly 2 and even spydieflick it though, just not me.
 
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Slice O Life said:

When is a small knife, too small?​

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When it's too small to do what I need it to do.
So the answer will vary depending on what I'm expecting to do that day.
There's a lot of stuff I do for which a Victorinox Classic or similar is sufficient. There's a lot of stuff I do for which a Vic Classic would be too small.
 
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knarfeng said:
When it's too small to do what I need it to do.
So the answer will vary depending on what I'm expecting to do that day.
There's a lot of stuff I do for which a Victorinox Classic or similar is sufficient. There's a lot of stuff I do for which a Vic Classic would be too small.
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That's true. I encountered this problem only once when.I was trying out the Spyderco Mcbee. I was cutting through some very thick cardboard, and the Mcbee simply couldn't do it. I mean, maybe if I chipped away at it, but it was just a no go. When you hit the wall of what your knife is capable of, you are left wanting more.
 
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Slice O Life said:
This is where I also draw the line on small knives. If I find them to be hard to open, and I don't overcome a learning curve that makes it easy to open, I tend to not carry them. I found the same issue with the dragonfly. I could never get a secure hold on the clip side of the dragonfly, when opening one handed. This caused in many cases fumbling to open, or just going through the opening motion and either having the close bias beat out my attempt, or just not opening it at all. Some people can open the dragonfly 2 and even spydieflick it though, just not me.
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Yes, the handle is important, especially in a small knife. If you cannot hold onto the handle securely, the blade does not matter much.

My hands are medium small, size 7-1/2. I have about half a dozen knives with a cutting edge around 2 inches. They all have a finger groove or ring that provides a secure grip. I use them a lot around the house or going out to the grocery store or a restaurant. My wife often borrows them to open packages from ebay with 10 layers of tape. I would not want a blade that was much under 2 inches.

I can Spydieflick a Dragonfly with my thumb, but it's a little uncomfortable to bend my thumb that far. My middle finger grips the pocket clip. I cannot Spydieflick it with my middle finger. A Benchmade Impel auto has a smaller handle but is a whole lot easier to open with one hand. I also like the MKM Jesper Voxnaes Mikro and CRKT Folts Minimalist neck knives, which have blades around 2 inches with excellent finger grooves. But I prefer a 2-1/2 or 3 inch blade for a neck knife.

When I am doing chores, I usually use blades in the 3-1/2 to 6 inch range.
 
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No steadfast rule, it just boils down to the functionality and ergonomics of each individual knife for me. Experience with smaller knives have brought me to the realization that the pinky can hang off and you can still have sufficient purchase on the knife (especially with the aid of a lanyard). The Bugout, for example, is considered by many to be an ideal EDC folder, and it is for all intents and purposes a 3 finger grip (for me at least), but I never feel any lack of control when using it.
 
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For modern folders with pocket clips, it's too small for me when I can't get a four-finger grip on it and/or the handle is both narrow and kind of short. I've tried a wide range of knives smaller than that, and they never stick around long. Hopefully I've finally learned my lesson. ;)

For traditional slipjoints, I haven't found one that's too small yet. The SAK Rambler and Case Peanut are two of my favorites.
 
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I was curious if this when my niece asked for a very pretty, though small knife. I am a big knife guy so something 2 inches or under almost feels like a toy. Though SAKs have a small blade that is rather handy at times. I like this question.
 
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